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Cold Process

Cocoa butter and other fat bases that do not require melting in order to mix with powdered herbs can be made into bolus suppositories by a cold method.

So far, the best tools I’ve found for this method are a dinner plate and two 1 1/4-inch stainless steel putty knives (you can find these in the paint section of a hardware store). One putty knife is used to knead and blend the cocoa butter and herbs together, and the other one is used to intermittently scrape off the first one. You’ll also want some paper towels close by.

1. Powder the herb(s) you plan to use. If you are using more than one herb, powder and blend them at this stage.

2. Grate or shave with a putty knife an appropriate quantity of cocoa butter onto a glass or ceramic dinner plate.

3. Mix the powdered herb with the shaved cocoa butter base and then work them into a plastic mass with the aid of the putty knife. A more even distribution of the herb is obtained if it is first mixed with only a portion of the cocoa butter base, then the remainder of the base can be worked in gradually.

4. Add essential oils during this blending process if your formula calls for them.

5. Knead the entire mass with the putty knife until the herbs (and essential oils, if you’ve added any) are well dispersed. If you took the suggestion in the margin, have another cookie.

6. Wash your hands well, and, with your fingers, form the mass into appropriately sized and shaped boluses. The necessary skill is easy to acquire. Weigh the first bolus to get a sense of the size you want to make (see size and shape, above). If you find that the skin temperature of your fingers exceeds the melting point of cocoa butter, you can keep your hands cool by dipping them in ice water, or by holding on to the glass of ice cold milk you’re having with your cookies.

7. Place boluses into a small jar, cap it, label it, and store it in the refrigerator.

Coconut Oil Base Substitute

Some folks use coconut oil (derived from the fruit of the Coconut palm, Cocos nucifera) in place of cocoa butter as a base for making boluses. Rosemary Gladstar, in her book Herbal Healing for Women, gives the following recipe for such an event:

“Melt coconut oil in a saucepan over low heat. When the oil is completely melted, remove it from the heat and stir in the powdered herb mixture. Add enough herbs to make a thick paste. When you have added enough powder so that the oil is thick, yet still pliable enough to work, add (essential oils). Quickly roll into boluses the size and shape of your small finger. They will look like herbal tootsie rolls.”

This Cold Process is a lot like making chocolate chip cookie dough from scratch, which you might even want to start now for, inevitably, smelling and handling all this cocoa butter will lead you into some form of chocolate frenzy.

MAKING THE GLYCERINATED GELATIN BASE SUPPOSITORY

This mixture of gelatin and glycerin creates a base that readily incorporates liquid extracts such as herbal infusions, decoctions, concentrates, tinctures, fluid extracts, and essential oils into a suppository form. Gelatin is found in the “jello” section of the grocery store, and glycerin can be purchased in health food stores, herb stores, and drug stores.

I’ll give you a basic recipe and method for making this type of bolus, but you will, I’m sure, quickly modify it in your own fashion.

1. Into a small glass or stainless steel saucepan, pour 1 oz. (30 ml) of herbal tincture, fluid extract, strong herbal concentrate, or whatever form of liquid single herb or herbal formula you wish to use. You certainly can incorporate finely powdered herbs in this base as well.

2. Add 1 oz. (30 ml) of pure vegetable glycerin.

3. Add 2 oz. (60 ml) of distilled water.

4. Stir these ingredients together until they are well mixed.

5. Open 1 envelope of unflavored gelatin and pour it into the liquid mixture. (The box of gelatin I buy holds 4 envelopes of pure granulated gelatin, each containing 7 Gm.)

6. Place this combination on the stove burner over a low flame.

7. Stir continuously until